Only album to be named after a song, and it's one of the dumbest titles ever.
Don't get me wrong, Lightning Bolt isn't my least favourite song, not by a long shot.
But it's a fucking terrible title for a song and an even worse title for an album.
Mike wrote:I don't really care about the "negativity" but I can understand where the complaining about it comes from. It is just a little more annoying to read "Man, this song just sucks" without explanation about a song you like quite a bit than it is to hear an unexplained positive statement. They both don't have a lot of value but the first one can annoy you. And sometimes there's exaggerated negativity that feels more like shtick than honest opinions saying that some of the songs are "absolutely horrible".
I just want to add that I'm absolutely horrible at detecting shtick in this forum. I guess a lot of newer users don't know what to take serious and what not.
Last edited by Mike on Tue October 08, 2013 11:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
I've listened to the album once so far. And after one listen I'm really digging it and there's moments that are challenging me. Much like Binaural did when I listened to it back in the day.
Initial things I'm hearing seem like a mash-up of Yield and Binaural. I'm sure others will disagree but that's what the music sounds and feels like to me. This is how I feel after only one listen.
Only album to be named after a song, and it's one of the dumbest titles ever.
Don't get me wrong, Lightning Bolt isn't my least favourite song, not by a long shot.
But it's a fucking terrible title for a song and an even worse title for an album.
I really hope the songs blend together to an album in my head with repeated listens. Hearing MYM first, then LB and FD live, then the first leak, then Sirens and now the whole album made this a strange listen. It now seems even more like hodge-podge than it probably is.
Sirens / LB / Infall. is the least enjoyable, most generic run of emotionless music I've ever heard from this band. They do those songs well, but its like doing elevator music well....I hear more craft and a lot less soul than I care for.
Outside of LtRP, the rest of the album ranges from ok to good. But I really hope that's the last blatantly calculated adult pop radio reaching I have to watch this band do.
Take out Records, and the back half of this is the some of the best stuff they've done in a decade.
i just don't understand how you're putting infallible in that list. I get sirens, and I kind of see where you're coming from with LB, despite my emphatic disagreement. but infallible?
Infallible is the one other song on the whole record that feels like it belongs with Sirens, so if you suss my feels on the one then really you get both.
The section of Lightning Bolt (the song) that really saves it for me is that section from the end of the first chorus to the second chorus. The cool lead/solo and then arpeggio laden bridge are awesome. I think without that but the song would be a "meh" from me.
Wendy Carlos's Twin wrote:Easily their worst album ever for me.
For me too, so far.
Where did Backspacer and Self Titled sit for the two of you?
For me nothing touches the "Vitalogy"-"Riot Act" stretch, though I would say there are things on "S/T" and "Backspacer" a lot better suited to my current tastes than "Ten" and Vs.," neither of which I find myself compelled to play very often anymore.
My reaction to "Lightning Bolt" is nowhere near as strong as Wendy's, but at this point it does have more songs I just flat out dislike on it than any other Pearl Jam album, which sort of defaults it to the bottom of the pile.
stip wrote:I just do not hear the connection as all. I understand the reasons, just not the application.
It might help a bi if I say that the sound clip on the vignette didnt do much for me either. It sounded like the opening to a Genesis song like No Son of Mine, only not as quirky or atmospheric. The riff by itself is pretty lifeless melodrama, but used as a backdrop for other cool sonic breath and sparkle, with some interesting percussion (beyond just the kit), it could have been an interesting piece. If they'd worked on this during Binaural, it might sit somewhere between NAiS and Sleight of Hand. Instead it's just....some song that wants so badly to be your friend that it doesn't dare reveal any personality or emotion, of any kind.
The biggest tactical error on the album is the obvious SBM. That said, its actually a very, very good rendition. If I was doing BOB's job, and I really wanted the song on there, I would have made it a hidden track. If that had happened, fans would be loving the inclusion. As it stands, it has become a bone of contention.
Replace SBM in the tracklist with Of The Earth (or cold concession & let it ride) and have SBM pop up as a surprise and you've got yourself a more complete album (in my opinion). Should they release Of The Earth, I'm going to set the playlist up that way myself
I quite like how SBM turned out and it flows well with the songs that surround it. I don't think it is one of the stronger tracks on the record, but that has a lot more to do with the strength of the record than SBM.
The only song I really don't care for is future days.
sward wrote:The biggest tactical error on the album is the obvious SBM. That said, its actually a very, very good rendition. If I was doing BOB's job, and I really wanted the song on there, I would have made it a hidden track. If that had happened, fans would be loving the inclusion. As it stands, it has become a bone of contention.
Replace SBM in the tracklist with Of The Earth (or cold concession & let it ride) and have SBM pop up as a surprise and you've got yourself a more complete album (in my opinion). Should they release Of The Earth, I'm going to set the playlist up that way myself
That's exactly how I feel about SBM. It's not a bad song at all, it just doesn't feel like it should be on the album. It's a good song, just out of place. Of The Earth should have been recorded a million times til they got it right because that is a hell of a song.
Also, thank God Mike pushed them into putting Yellow Moon on this record. You know you love an album when you call off work the day after it's released because you have yet to go to sleep.
I guess a lot of newer users don't know what to take serious and what not.
